MONDAY
Reading for Today:
John 20:10-18
Revelation 18
Job 39
Haggai 1-2
John 20:10-18
When something great happens in your life, whom do you tell? Maybe it’s your spouse, parent, or friend. When Mary discovered Jesus had risen from the dead, she couldn’t keep the news to herself. She was too happy to keep quiet! Unfortunately, many believers today don’t act like the gospel is good news. We walk around with frowns on our faces and discontentment in our hearts when we should be the happiest people around. Are you so excited about what Jesus has done in your life that you can’t keep the news to yourself?
TUESDAY
Reading for Today:
John 20:19-23
Revelation 19
Job 40
Zechariah 1-5
Zechariah 1–5
There is no quicker way to anger a mother than to insult or hurt her child. Her child, after all, is the “apple of her eye,” precious and fiercely loved. When her child hurts, she hurts too. In Zechariah 2:8, the Lord referred to Israel as “the apple of his eye.” “Whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye.” Our God loves us fiercely. When someone hurts us, he feels it, just as a mother feels it when her child is hurt. We need not fear, because we have a great and mighty defender in our loving Father.
WEDNESDAY
Reading for Today:
John 20:24-31
Revelation 20
Job 41:1-11
Zechariah 6-9
John 20:24-31
We can’t see wind, but we know it exists. When we go outside and see the trees moving, we see evidence of wind. Likewise, we can’t actually see God, and yet Jesus asks us to believe. One of the reasons we can believe is the evidence he left all around us. We might not see God, but we can see his power in a storm brewing in the distance. We might not touch God, but we can touch the snow he created. If we keep our eyes open, we can see God’s fingerprints everywhere we look. Are your eyes open to see his fingerprints today?
THURSDAY
Reading for Today:
John 21:1-14
Revelation 21
Job 41:12-34
Zechariah 10-14
Revelation 21
It’s exciting to receive something new: a child opening a new toy he’s been requesting for weeks, new carpet to replace the worn out frayed one, or a new home or car. In Revelation 21 God promised us he would make everything new. These bodies that grow tired and weary, he promised to make new. These broken relationships that remind us of our past mistakes, he promised to make new. This world, with its natural catastrophes, diseases, and pain, God promised to make new. No matter what hardships we face today, we can be encouraged because someday God will make everything new.
FRIDAY
Reading for Today:
John 21:15-25
Revelation 22
Job 42
Malachi 1-4
Job 42
In the middle of a crisis, it’s natural to ask why. “Why is this happening?” We want to make sense of our lives, especially the hard parts. Unfortunately, we will not always understand. Job eventually learned this when he admitted, “Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know” (Job 42:3). In reality, our God wouldn’t be very big if we could fully understand him. Thankfully, though, we can each learn to be okay with the unknowns, just as Job was. We might not understand God, but we understand enough to know he’s worth pursuing.
Congratulations!
This marks the end of the 2017 Bible Reading Plan! Use the rest of the year to catch up on any readings you may have missed, and enjoy the rest of the holiday season! Don’t forget to join the Lord in prayer this next week, and join us for 2018!
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